Urban Researchers Who Track Drug Use
Will Meet in Baltimore, June 13-16

Their Frontline Reports Offer Early Warning of National Trends

Current and emerging patterns and trends in drug abuse will be discussed at the 48th meeting of the Community Epidemiology Work Group (CEWG), June 13-16, at the Hilton Baltimore and Towers, 20 West Baltimore Street, in Baltimore, MD.

"For 24 years, the CEWG has given the country frontline reports on emerging drug use trends in the United States," notes Dr. Alan I. Leshner, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). "Advance knowledge of new forms of drug use, such as 'rolling and trolling' (combining Ecstasy with LSD), and reports of localized drug use problems from these important urban areas are invaluable to our understanding of drug use nationwide."

The CEWG is a network of researchers and public health officials from 20 major U.S. metropolitan areas and the state of Texas established by NIDA in 1976. The group meets twice a year to discuss current patterns and trends of drug abuse.

The CEWG includes researchers from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, St. Louis, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and from the state of Texas. Specific information sources include treatment and mortality data from local or state agencies; the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN); the National Institute of Justice's Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) System; and seizure, price, purity, prescription/distribution, and arrest data from the Drug Enforcement Administration and state and local law enforcement agencies.

The 48th meeting will open on Tuesday, June 13, at 8:55 a.m. with comments from Dr. Leshner. Tuesday's session will include reports from Baltimore; Washington, D.C.; Atlanta; Miami; Boston; New York City; Newark; Philadelphia; New Orleans; St. Louis; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Chicago; and Detroit. The agenda on Wednesday, June 14, will feature reports from Texas, Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Honolulu, followed by discussion.

The morning session Thursday, June 15, will feature a discussion of NIDA's programs, including epidemiology, services, and prevention research; treatment research and development; neuroscience and behavioral research; science policy and communications; and AIDS and other medical consequences of drug abuse.

The international component of this meeting, on Thursday and Friday, June 15 and 16, will include presentations from researchers and discussions among health officials and academicians from selected countries, including Canada, Mexico, Pakistan, the Pacific Islands, Australia, South Africa, and reports from Europe and Asia.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse is a component of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIDA supports more than 85 percent of the world's research on the health aspects of drug abuse and addiction. The Institute carries out a large variety of programs to ensure the rapid dissemination of research information and its implementation in policy and practice. Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and other topics can be ordered free of charge in English and Spanish by calling NIDA Infofax at 1-888-NIH-NIDA (644-6432) or 1-888-TTY-NIDA (889-6432) for the deaf. These fact sheets and further information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the Home page at http://www.drugabuse.gov.